Impact of Interactive Vertical Overlap of Cumulus and Stratus on Global Aerosol, Precipitation, and Radiation Processes in the Seoul National University Atmosphere Model Version 0 With a Unified Convection Scheme (SAM0‐UNICON)

Abstract

Abstract The previously proposed parameterization for the integrated vertical overlap of cumulus and stratus is generalized to handle both conventional exponential‐random stratus overlap and nonconventional (i.e., other than exponential‐random) cumulus overlap in a simultaneous way. With the parameterization of the decorrelation length scale of stratus as a function of vertical wind shear, our parameterization simulates various interactive feedback between vertical cloud overlap and other physical processes. This interactive vertical overlap parameterization of cumulus and stratus was implemented into all relevant physics parameterizations (i.e., convection, stratus microphysics, radiation, aerosol wet deposition, and aerosol activation at the base of stratus) of the Seoul National University Atmosphere Model version 0 with a Unified Convection Scheme (SAM0‐UNICON) in a fully consistent way. It is shown that the overall performance of the interactive cloud overlap parameterization to simulate the observed mean climate is similar to that of the original overlap parameterization. Given that an intensive tuning has not yet been performed with the new overlap parameterization, this result is quite encouraging.

Keywords

• cloud overlap parameterization